IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - A growing memorial outside a bar in Imperial Beach honors a father of 4 who was gunned down during a night out.
Surveillance video from a home near Bullpen Tavern off Seventh Street captured the moment just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, when an apparent gunshot rang out, it was believed to be the shot that left 36-year-old Joe Rivera dead outside the bar.
"It feels like a wound that's not going to heal. My heart is broken," said Virginia Coughlin, Rivera's sister.
When asked what the world has lost, Coughlin said Rivera was "an amazing human being."
Rivera's sister said that night, her brother rode his skateboard to the bar to get a drink with his brother. Deputies have not revealed what led to the shooting.
"Joe is a peacemaker," Coughlin said. "For him to have his life taken in the way, it’s just a huge shock and devastating."
Coughlin calls her brother, a father of 4 children ages 6 to 13, a devoted dad and a hard worker, honing his craft as a plumber.
"He loved his children so much. He was just out here grinding, trying to make a better life for them," she said.
A few days ago, deputies confirmed they had a suspect in custody: Vince Quintero, booked on a murder charge and grand theft of a firearm. Rivera says her brother didn't know the suspect.
“Joe deserves justice. He deserves to have his life back. That’s not going to happen, but he deserves justice for what happened," Coughlin said.
Quintero pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday afternoon.
"I would like to see him locked away forever. He doesn't need to be out here in the streets to do this again, to another family," Coughlin said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with funeral expenses and a fund to go toward the children.
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